New citizens get ready to cast their votes

At a recent voter fair at Placita Olvera, Carmen Gutierrez practiced punching her ballot in a mock polling booth and received information about the state's propositions.

Though she has lived in the United States for more than a decade, Gutierrez only became a new citizen in September and registered to vote earlier this month. Gutierrez said she is eager to vote in the presidential election.

"There are a lot of Latinos here," said Gutierrez, who is originally from Mexico. "We have to make our voices heard."

Hundreds of thousands of new citizens like Gutierrez are registering to vote in California and around the nation in time to cast ballots Nov. 4. In Los Angeles County, about 60,000 new citizens have registered to vote since January, according to the county registrar. In all of last year, about 34,000 new citizens registered...